Wednesday, Dec. 31 − Hollywood Park
Hollywood Park pick six carryover
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By Brad Free
1. Subpoena the Dress 2. Sleep Tight 3. Cactus Flyer
The pick six begins here with a $108,789 carryover. SUBPOENA THE DRESS makes her first start since transferring to high-percent trainer Mike Mitchell, who has won with 43 percent of his starters (27-for-62) this meet. 'DRESS ran well recently against better, and has enough gas to get a good trip positioned right behind the speed. A close fourth-place finish two starts back on this turf course indicates that 'DRESS can handle the surface. SLEEP TIGHT wheels back six days after setting the pace to deep stretch and tiring to fourth while racing one mile. She led gate to wire in two previous turf sprints this meet at this $25k claiming level, and the recent course profile favors her front-running style. Seven of the last 10 turf sprints have been won in gate-to-wire fashion. SLEEP TIGHT can win, but only if she shakes away from CACTUS FLYER, who will be breathing down her neck. CACTUS FLYER has sprinted three times on turf, never worse than second while facing similar. She is trained by John Sadler, who also entered grinding closer ENTABENI, a dull fourth last time with a wide trip.
1. Town Belle 2. Smil'n From Above 3. On Your Mark
After five futile starts against special-weight maidens, TOWN BELLE drops to maiden-20. Her only previous route on this surface was the best effort of her career, although a third-place finish in a five-horse field after chasing a slow pace is hardly a badge of honor. TOWN BELLE adds blinkers for her second start following a layoff, and can move up against this softer bunch. But she is no sure thing, and stretch-out SMIL'N FROM ABOVE looms the potential upsetter. She pressed good fractions and faded the final eighth her first two starts in sprints, and now goes long as possibly the controlling speed. ON YOUR MARK drops in for a tag for the first time, but her synthetic ability is dubious; her stablemate TEAM BUILDER figures somewhere in the hunt. SHE CAN ROAR has a similar pattern to the second choice. 'ROAR goes long after two sprint preps and can be forwardly placed. This looks like a "spread" race in the pick six.
1. Kingpin Ryno 2. Madeoftherightstuf 3. Delta Fix
The seventh-place finish last month by KINGPIN RYNO was much better than it appears. After breaking from post 12 in the maiden turf route, he lost ground on every turn while four-wide start to finish. His jockey subsequently wrapped up the final eighth and 'RYNO merely coasted to the wire. Runner-up previously in two turf sprints this meet, he cuts back to his preferred six-furlong distance and add blinkers. The maiden can finally win, while making his seventh start. But he can only win if he holds off MADEOFTHERIGHTSTUFF, runner-up by a head 12 days ago on the main track in his first start following a barn switch. 'STUFF previously finished second on turf at Santa Anita, so this surface is fine. DELTA FIX is a 4-year-old firster with apparently good works for Carla Gaines; STARSPANGLED HEAT broke slowly from the rail and never got going in his debut. He can improve, possibly at a price. CRANKY JACK showed ability his only start a year ago. He picks up leading rider Joel Rosario for his comeback.
1. Master Chef 2. Chiloquin 3. Gator Warrior
MASTER CHEF ran too good to lose last month against similar. He dueled with odds-on favorite Saddleranch through a hot pace, got the best of that rival, but then was worn down and finished a close third. Though he faces a similar pace challenge here against recent maiden winner DUBBER, MASTER CHEF has run faster while facing better company than that one. He can win with a front-running/pace-pressing trip. The improving 3-year-old CHILOQUIN finished a half-length in front of the top choice last time when he returned to his preferred one-turn trip. He has tactical speed, can finish, and enters with the field's highest last-start figure (98 Beyer). GATOR WARRIOR and DUBBER are trained by the meet's leading trainer. Bob Baffert started two horses in a race 17 times meet, winning 11 of those races. DUBBER is quick and will keep the top choice honest up front, while GATOR WARRIOR won his debut after setting a slow pace. He continues to train forwardly and has plenty of upside. Both are facing winners for the first time.
1. Unzip Me 2. Separate Forest 3. Warren's Blossom
UNZIP ME ranks as one of the top turf sprinters in the country, with a score to settle against SEPARATE FOREST. When they met in April, 'FOREST had a nine-pound weight break and won by a neck. Now they carry equal weight, UNZIP ME has trained well after recovering from a respiratory infection, and loves the Hollywood turf course. Drawn outside her main rival, 11-for-19 UNZIP ME enters as the most probable winner on the card. SEPARATE FOREST defeated the top choice in April, and returned to form last out finishing second behind a filly (Givine) that returned to bomb around two turns. 'FOREST is quick, the recent course profile favors her style, and this race boils down to a test between the two speeds. If they run each other into the ground, WARREN'S BLOSSOM could play spoiler. 'BLOSSOM has won five of eight, handles grass, gets five pounds from the top pair, and will run late.
1. Pedlars Way 2. Run for Miles 3. K Js Maddog
PEDLARS WAY is better than his first two starts indicate. He was bumped, steadied and shuffled back at the break in his debut, but ran on well to finish third and then galloped out strongly past the wire. In his next start against open special-weight rivals, he was simply outclassed and ran around the track while wide. Now he drops into a maiden-40 for Calbreds, he may have more speed than it appears, and he faces a nondescript bunch. All systems go on the class drop. RUN FOR MILES makes his career debut for trainer Peter Miller, who is loaded with 2-year-olds this year and 6-for-22 with 2-year-old firsters over the past year. KJS MADDOG makes his debut after training in Utah at Dixie Downs and Canyon Breeze Training Center. GRUMPY SMALL MOUTH pressed the pace in his debut and faded midstretch. He can improve. The truth is, if the top choice misfires, this race is wide open.
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